Point, but I'd say TH also hurt IH which is why I think not having a sequel to IH would be jumping the gun too much since this has happened to ALL superhero films after a poor predecessor. It will be interesting this summer to see if audiences don't do this repeated behavior with Wolverine and Iron Man -- will they view X-Men First Class as what came before Wolverine or Origins? Or will they see IM3 as coming after Avengers or IM2? Just from that stand-point this summer will be really interesting.
He's long gone. Well, he might rebound but man, I really think the making and the failure of Superman Returns changed Singer as a filmmaker and a person.
Doesn't the X-Men world revolve around Logan? That seems like what Marval and Fox believe anyway. It's hard for me to imagine him taking a backseat to anyone.
The legendary story of Jack and the beanstalk in the film Jack the Giant Slayer ,takes its
time to get going.Nicholas Hoult as Jack is likeable enough for you to root for him,but the film
has such a drawn out beginning ,i found myself saying lets get to the beanstalk and the giants already!!
There are some fun and adventurous moments but not enough wit or peril to truly hold my attention
for its almost 2 hour running time.
Just saw this and here's my review..so sound YE TRUMPETS!
-The movie is average to below average... the 50% or so rating on RT is about on.
-I won't diss any of the actors in this film..they all are competent in their roles (save for the evil human sidekick who is dreadful)
- it's just a very generic tale....nothing really stands out, nothing is particularly well done or botched..it's just SO Average.
- The giants look cool...but they are basically it for visual wonder in the film..and they all are pretty much the same. Would have been nice for some more variation among them. After about 20 minutes of them you are already tired of them and wondering when the lich king or lizard men are going to show up and of course that doesnt happen.
-CGI well done all around...I'm not seeing 200 mil here however.
- The opening storyboard portion looks dreadful on non 3D.
-Outside of said Giants, the visuals in the film are "phoned in", generic standard Medieval world. They are lifeless.
-The script for this is just too basic, and nobodies interesting enough to make up for this. I can see how this sounds like no big deal...I mean the old Harryhausen movies are not exactly complex either...but this movie fails to accomplish what is such a problem in modern sci fi/ fantasy...too much reliance on CGI...even though this one is competently acted...it still can't overcome the generic script.
-One of the biggest problems in the Movie are the antagonist. The giants are never developed as very interesting and they have no real motivations despite seeming capable of some layers..the movie fails to add much to some notions it develops (such as the feud between the Fum guy and the head giant, any explanation behind the treasure room Jack discovers, or what, who or why the giants are up there in the sky in the first place)
Further, the real Evil human guy is not much more than a flake and never much of a serious threat...and he dies far to early for us to really learn of any cool factor behind his motivations etc..he's so damn stale and dies waay to early. His sidekick is dreadful and a pox on this movie.
There are some other layers the movie never gets into..such as the Friar's motivation for it all..etc.. none of it is expounded on much and thus "botchery" kinda shines through
-And Worst...Bad ending...
Not sure what really happens to the giants...I guess they just go back home eh? Basically in comic terms this sucker ends "off panel"... And suddenly we realize the movie was set in medieval England , despite the clear near 1500s armor sets and decor and contradictory statements from characters during the movie that make this just plain awkward and non-witty...
I will admit, the ending two headed giant death scene was neat and crafty...this character could have been so much more though!
I think some simple fixes would have made this one a lot better.
- no back story flashback..this is getting so tired..just have characters fill in these details along the way.
- Have some variation among monsters...have the heroes fight a giant Cockroach or something in giant land before the real threat emerges..
- Better "main bad guy" have some sinister motive behind the thing that adds meaning to the struggle of the characters..it was never there...should have kept the main guy around and made him more connected to back story..(maybe an evil sorcerer from the horrid storyboard?)
The Verdict:
Pass on this one...I had high hopes for it as a dark horse early sleeper hit..but boy was i wrong.
TO sum it up..while it won't bomb I think even a movie like John Carter was superior. (though it's certainly not battleship bad)
Tucci obviously did this one for the money. I could say that about all the thespians in this thing, but you have a chance to work with Bryan Singer, he still is viewed as a decent director.
Hes far from being average, I think.
His supes was well directed to say the least if not redundant to the franchise.
Valkyrie was rather a decent WWII thriller.
Superman Returns was very unenjoyable for me. Superman and Lois are completely unlikable in that film and the only sympathetic character is Richard White.
Jack the Giant Slayer damn well shouldn't have cost 190mil plus. What the hell were WB thinking? I know studios need these big films but does every damn one of them have to cost 175mil plus?
You do make an excellent point. Whatever happened to the $30M-$70M budgeted blockbuster?
Directors and studios need to be more thrifty. Making less mid-budgeted films and placing your eggs in $150M-$200M would-be blockbusters is a recipe for disaster.
I thought the movie had an interesting take on Jack & The Bean Stalk. The actors were all pretty good. I will agree with people on the main human villain needing more of a story of his own. He seemed a little too cliche, being evil for the sake of being evil.
My biggest problem was with the giants. They looked so totally fake, I couldn't really suspend my disbelief while they were on screen. And having the audience suspend disbelief is important in a film like this. The giants also seemed to be just so generic. It would have been better had the put actors in from of a green screen and play the role of the giants, and have them reacting to green painted Barbie dolls. Then have the actors playing the humans reacting to giants that aren't there. Blend the two scenes together in the editing room, add a little CGI, and there you go. A much more believable bunch of giants.
All together, I'd give Jack The Giant Slayer a 5.5 out of 10. Maybe a 6, but that'll be really generous.
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